befitwithjanet.com

I haven’t blogged in while. I’ve been busy taking care of myself, enjoying my family and embracing the new me. I’m happy to declare that I’m back and feeling pretty awesome.

I’ve briefly blogged about my journey with postpardum depression. I thought I was getting better. I had some good days mixed with bad days. I was waiting for the cloudiness to go away. But the days were consistently dark and the good days were few and far between. I started to feel like I was operating on auto pilot.

I wasn’t having fun being a mom. Those other moms I heard and read about – the one’s who LOVE being a mom – I thought they were an urban legend….or Stepford Wives. I really didn’t get why they liked being a mom. I was starting to despise it.

And I couldn’t shake the thoughts – that I now know are signs of PPD…..Thoughts that I wanted my old life back. That I wanted to rewind my decision to have a child. That I had made a mistake. I pined for my pre-baby life.

I was spinning deeper and deeper into a very dark hole. I never laughed at my husband’s jokes anymore. I was always picking fights with him. I felt like everyone was criticizing me and constantly on the offensive. It didn’t take much to set me off. And if something didn’t go as planned, I felt like was going to “lose my shit.”

I was also having intrusive thoughts that wouldn’t go away. They were almost always about something bad happening to Elizabeth. I would envision terrible things happening to her – but it wasn’t me that was doing those bad things (as some women with PPD talk about) – it always by someone else. Some of the thoughts were violent and so disturbing, and very hard to shake.

One day I was changing her diaper, and this vision popped in my head: I envisioned someone walking into her room, throwing a hatchet at her, and it hit her in the head. I would envision someone throwing her over the railing when I was at the mall. And each time I would get an intrusive thought, I would think “WTF is wrong with me?!” (Intrusive thoughts are one of the symptoms of Post Pardum OCD).

I knew it was time to do something about my head when I wasn’t able to relax during a mountain bike ride. All I could think about while riding, was something bad happening to Elizabeth while I was away from her. Intrusive thoughts creeped into my head. I envisioned her falling out of her high chair and falling off of the changing table. The thoughts went so far as I imagined planning her funeral.

As hard as I tried, I couldn’t push the thoughts away. Once I finished my ride and got back to the car, I was in tears. I realized I was having an anxiety attack the entire time I was on the trail. And that’s when I knew I needed to do something. The trail is supposed to be my happy place. A slice of solace. Exercise is supposed to help me decompress so that I can come back home and be a good mom.

Later that week, I met with my therapist. After sharing the extreme turn of PPD over the past few weeks and admitting that I’d been in denial about the state of my PPD, we came to the agreement that it was time to seek out help from Big Pharma.

I made a call to my midwife and discussed my symptoms in detail. She set up an emergency medical evaluation for the next morning. I still didn’t want to take meds, but I wanted to get better. It had been nine months that the PPD had taken a strong hold on me.

I thought I was less of person if I had to take meds. I thought I was a failure as a wife and a mother. I was afraid that each time I took one of those pills, it would be an admission of failure. Of weakness. And shame.

My husband and Elizabeth came with me to the session. The mood while preparing for the visit and on the way to the clinic was surprisingly upbeat.

“This is the most light-hearted I’ve seen you in months.” I said to Justin. “What’s up?”

“I feel relieved that you’re getting help.” He said.

After meeting with a psychiatrist for an hour and a half and discussing my symptoms in detail, I left with a prescription for an Selective serotonin reputake inhibitor (SSRI). I also left with a new found hope.

Although I was still apprehensive about taking meds, I was excited to pick up my prescription.

I sat in the car, opened the bottle and peered at the tiny green pills. “Is a little itsy pill really going to help me feel better?” I thought. I shook a pill onto my palm and studied it. I felt like Alice in Wonderland. “Well, here it goes. I’m ready to jump down the rabbit hole,” I said to myself as I popped a pill into my mouth.

It might have been a placebo affect, but I began to feel a little bit better within a couple of hours. By the next evening, I was feeling pretty terrific. I found myself smiling more, feeling at ease, relaxed, comfortable. The dark cloud in my head was fading away.

“Why didn’t I do this earlier?!” I exclaimed to my husband. When I started to cracks jokes back and forth with him and our old-time comedy act began to emerge (you’d have to see us in action to understand), I could tell that he was feeling like he got his wife and best friend back.

Two weeks later, I called my mom to tell her about my day. I was super excited and having an amazing Saturday. I had finished the laundry, meal planned, grocery shopped, went on a one hour bike ride, and took a marathon shower (I washed my hair AND shaved my legs). All before three o’clock. “It sounds like I have my old Janet back!” she exclaimed.

Now that I’m about two months into taking the SSRI, I’ve realized just how bad my PPD was.

I wasn’t going to share the intensity of my PPD with anyone outside my family and close friends. I didn’t want to tell anyone that I was taking meds. And I surely wasn’t going to update my social network status to read “Hey everyone! I’m really depressed and my life really sucks right now!”

But as I’ve thought about it, I feel that I do need to share the entire nasty struggle with PPD….in hopes that other women battling PPD or depression will seek help, and that it’s OK to go the medication route. Approximately 10-15% of women suffer from PPD. I feel that the number is much higher than that. The current statistics only reflect what is reported. Too many women dealing with PPD suffer in silence.

PPD and depression are a stigma, and not something we freely talk about. I hope that sharing my story will help moms – who are going through the same thing -  get help.

I’m finally REALLY having fun being a mom. I love my daughter so much more (I liked her, but I didn’t love, love, love her). I’m laughing at my husband’s jokes and amused at his goofy wit again.

The dynamic between Justin, Elizabeth and me has changed – I finally truly feel like we’re a family.

And I finally feel like someone turned the lights on.

Here’s the link to a blog, which I feel is the best PPD blog out there. It’s Postpartum Progress, written by PPD Survivor, Katherine Stone.

Make your life healthy,

Janet

Making it a goal of fitting in exercise whenever I can. Actually, it’s become more like a mission to make sure I include it into my schedule.

Here’s how my exercise schedule looked last week. I’m posting it in hopes that it may give a busy women ideas on how she may fit exercise into her schedule.

Sunday. Group ride organized by a cycling mama of two. It was 2-hours of hills around the beautiful bluffs near the St. Croix river in Wisconsin. It was a sufferfest. But I loved every minute of it. And I  loved my friends even more for letting me tag along, even if I was a half mile behind the pack at any given time. They stopped at the top of hills and intersections to wait for me. They even took turns riding towards my position (waaaay behind the pack) to check on me and give me encouragement.

Monday. Family ride to run errands. It was also a recovery ride for me. The scene: Justin riding his commuter bike and hauling Elizabeth in the bike trailer. Me on my road bike.

Tuesday. Elizabeth and I took off for a jog/walk in the BOB.

Wednesday. OFF

Thursday. A walk at lunchtime with Justin. I’m currently working on a consulting assignment close to his company, so we’re meeting for lunchtime walks when our schedules allow. And let the record show that we hauled our butts around during the walk – we were pretty sleep deprived thanks to a week of Elizabeth teething AND fighting a virus. I also think I was still recovering from Sunday’s sufferfest.

Friday. A very slow lunchtime jog/walk around the lake near the office where I’m consulting. Took some convincing to get my butt out the door, but I was very glad that I made time for “me.”  I don’t have access to showers, so I packed a bag with my workout clothes, shoes, deodorant, baby wipes, a hand towel, and extra underwear. Click on the link to read how to pack a gym bag. Once I trouble shoot my new challenge of exercising at work without access to showers, I will post an updated blog entry with tips to packing a bag.

It would be great to be able to have a week like this every week. Minus the sleep deprivation.

The size is slowly coming off my hips, and I’m finally feeling [small] improvements in my fitness. Slow and steady wins the race.

Stay tuned for more progress and ideas on how you can build exercise into your week, too.

Make your life healthy,

Janet

Jackie (mom of a 2-year old and 7-week old), Me (mom of an 8-month old), Dana (mom of two kittie cats)

Elizabeth and I love to hit the trails together.

Today is National Running Day. I’m going to celebrate the day with a trail run with Elizabeth. I love that it is something that we can do together – I just put her in the BOB jogging stroller and off we go And I also have a new pair of ASICS Nimbus kicks that need some breaking in!

If you’re looking for a nice place to trail run in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, try my three favorite spots: Lebanon Hills in Eagan, Terrace Oaks in Burnsville, or Ft. Snelling State Park in St. Paul (the trails may still be mushy from the spring flooding).

How are you celebrating?

Here are 10 Ways to Celebrate National Running Day.

Make your life healthy,

Janet

One of the best things to hit mountain biking in the Midwest is about to unleash itself:

The opening of a network of mountain bike trails at Cuyuna Lakes State Trail.

The “official” opening is June 10-12 with the Cuyuna Lakes Mountain Bike Festival: complete with fireworks, a night ride, time trial, cross country race and a BBQ on Saturday evening. Hans Rey (one of the pioneers of mountain biking and a trials rider) will be there to help kick off the opening of the trail.

Judging by the itinerary, the weekend looks like it will be super fun. Click on the link to view the itinerary of Cuyuna Lakes Mountain Bike Festival via the Cuyuna Lakes Chamber of Commerce. Click on this link to more information about the mountain bike festival via the Minnesota Mountain Bike Series web page.

And now that I have a little one, I’m pretty excited that the weekend is also geared as a family-friendly event, encouraging moms and dads to bring their bike trailers and participate in the bike parade, as well as building in some time for a kids race (LOVE the kids race at mountain bike events – it’s so fun to watch!)

Click on the link for information about the network of mountain bike trails surrounding the Cuyuna Lakes State Trail via the Facebook page, which is also providing continuous updates about the festival and trail work.

If you’re looking for a nice place to sleep (and camping isn’t your thing), Ruttger’s Bay Lake Lodge (billed as one of the best Minnesota Lake Resorts) offers very nice family friendly accommodations.

I received a press release about the festival with more information:

Hans “No Way” Rey Will Attend the Cuyuna Lakes State Trail Grand Opening

On June 10 through the12th, Hans Rey will be visiting and riding the Cuyuna Lakes State Trail Grand Opening in Crosby, Minnesota! The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources will be cutting the ribbon for the Grand Opening of Cuyuna Country State Recreation Bike Trail Network.  The world trials champion and extreme rider Hans “No Way” Rey will ride the stunning new 30-mile mountain bike trail.

Abandoned by mining companies more than 20 years ago, the Cuyuna State Recreation Area offers the finest mountain biking within the Midwest. It is home to astonishing mountain bike single-track trails.  Beginner, intermediate, and expert trails follow along the sides of 200-foot slag piles overlooking 500-foot deep crystal clear mine pools.

Hans Rey is not only a multiple Trials National and World Champion, he is one of the pioneers of Trials and Extreme Mountain Biking. Hans earned recognition with his jump over a car on the 405 Freeway in Los Angeles, his volcano dance in Hawaii, his under water bungee jump, and his Machu Picchu Adventure. He was also a part of the 1996 Olympic Games by performing in the Extreme Sports Act in front of 3.5 billion viewers in the Olympic Closing Ceremonies. Ruttger’s Bay Lake Lodge is hosting Hans Rey for the event, www.ruttgers.com.  Minnesota resort, Ruttger’s is the official lodging sponsor of the Cuyuna Lakes Mountain Bike Festival.

Must haves for a bike ride with baby: multi tool and baby bottle (the wine is for Mom to enjoy post-ride)

I learned two very valuable lessons during this week’s bike ride with Elizabeth. Be prepared because you just don’t know when you’ll have a mechanical.

Never leave home without:

1. A multi-tool (the contraption in blue)

2. Formula or some type of baby food

(The wine is to help calm nerves later in the evening)

Monday afternoon, Elizabeth and I were out enjoying a bike ride (well, she was enjoying the bike ride, I was trying to soldier through hill climbs and intervals).

I was so glad to be out, but aggravated with my chain the entire ride. It kept skipping, and it would fall off the chain ring when I tried to put it into granny gear as a I climbed a hill. At my current fitness, I need granny gear to climb hills! I was just going to have to make due with the middle chain ring.

Well, an hour and a half into our ride, I’m chugging up a hill, clicking through my gears to find some relief from the pain and lactic acid building up in my quads. I shifted into the lowest gear I could find. The chain sounded like a roller coaster car climbing up the track. CLUNKY CLUNKY CLICKITY CLACK. And then I heard this dreaded noise: THUNK! Chain suck.

My pedals stopped moving and I quickly clipped out so that I didn’t fall over. It must have looked cartoon comical, and I’m glad there wasn’t anyone around that saw me. That I know of.

I attempted to move my pedals, thinking that maybe I just needed to help the bike into the next gear. No luck. The pedals would not move. I looked down at my back wheel and discovered that one of the chain links was stuck between my rear cassette and a spoke. *sigh* How the hell did that happen?!

Being that we were on a hill and I couldn’t set the bike down to fix the problem without the trailer rolling backwards, I decided to try to walk the bike up the hill to level ground. But my back wheel was stuck and the bike wouldn’t roll on it’s own. So I had to lift the bike up and carry it cyclocross style up the hill so that I didn’t drag my tire across the pavement and the trailer would roll – all while my pedal banged into the back of my calf with each stride. (I now have lovely bruises from the pedal hitting my calf).

Once I was at the top of the hill, I unhitched the trailer and placed it under the shade of the tree. Then I flipped my bike upside to down to……do what? I didn’t really know what I was going to do. I’m not a mechanic and I have no bike-fixin’ skills. But I thought I could yank the chain out from where it was stuck.

Pull! Pull! Pull! Nothing. PULL! PULL! YANK! Still nothing. Dammit. I was starting to panic. PUUULLLLL!

After five minutes of this, my mind started to flurry with anxiety. Who was I going to call to get me out of this mess? How was I going to get the baby and me home? What if she wakes up and senses my panic and starts crying hysterically?! And then….Crap. I don’t even have a bottle. I had stuffed the diaper bag in the compartment of the Chariot, but I didn’t pack a bottle.  *sigh*

I reached around to the back pocket of my jersey. Double crap: I forgot to grab the multi tool. It’s not like I really know how to use it except to tighten/loosen screws. But it would have come in handy to help un-jam the chain.

So I did what any panicky woman would do. I called my husband. And I was pissed at myself because I didn’t know how to fix the problem all by myself like a big girl.

He suggested that I loosen the quick release to take off the tire. But that didn’t help much because the chain link was really jammed between the rear cassette and the spoke. More panic and anger set in. I started to weep “it won’t work,” I said between sniffels. “it’s really stuck.”

I took a deep breath. “Let me try to work with it some more.” I whined.

“I’m coming to get you.” he said.

As much as I was relieved, I was that more pissed at myself for feeling helpless.

I took a sip of water and another deep breath.

A woman ventured out of the house that I was parked in front of. She appeared to be in her mid-30s and I assumed (from the mini-van in the driveway and the playhouse in the backyard) that she was a stay at home mom. “Are you OK? Do you need help?” she asked. I was glad I was wearing sunglasses so that she couldn’t see my tears. I explained what happened.

“Can you hold my bike while I yank this chain?” I asked pointing at the rear wheel. “It’s stuck between the spoke and the rear cassette. Here I am, an avid cyclist, and I don’t know much about bike maintenance.”

She held my bike while I gave the chain a couple more yanks. Finally it broke free. “Whew! That’s a relief!” I said to her.

I put the back wheel on the bike, wrapping the chain around the chain ring and tightening the skewer. I flipped my bike back over, lifted the back wheel off the pavement and worked the chain through the gears. “O.K. I think it’s fixed.” I said.

“You look like you know how to fix your bike to me.” She said with a smile. I wanted to hug her.

I thanked her, reattached Elizabeth’s bike trailer, and pedaled off. Once it seemed like the gears were working, I called my husband to let him know we were O.K. He said he was already half way home from work.

Once I made my way to the hill near our house, I saw him parked on the side of the road. “Can you make it home?” he asked. I told him that I thought I was OK and that I wanted to finish this last hill climb. He said he was going to head home, but to call if I needed him.

We finally wheeled into the drive way. “High five! You made it home!” he said, extending his palm towards me. I rolled my eyes, laughed and gave him a high five. He pulled Elizabeth out of the trailer, who was all smiles.

Moral of the story: at minimum, do not leave home without a mutli-tool and baby food.

Optional: a bottle of wine waiting at home to celebrate working your way through a mechanical.

I vowed to learn a little more about bike maintenance. And refresh my skills for changing a flat tire. I’m envisioning Justin and I hanging in the garage – me perfecting my tire changing skills while he times me – NASCAR pit crew style.

Make your life healthy,

Janet

Picture taken against the cycling jersey wall at The Rivers Eatery in Cable, WI, displaying jerseys from area cycling races and events from years past..

We did it! Our first family mountain bike mini vacation  get away. (Note: Add an extra three more hours than you think you’ll need for packing when toting a baby along).

It was a great time. We traveled to one of our favorite day-drive mountain bike destinations: Cable, WI and enjoyed the weekend at the Cable Area Off-Road Classic.

One of the goals I set for myself while I was pregnant was to make the Cable Classic my first post pregnancy mountain bike race. Well, I didn’t exactly race. I rode it while everyone else race.

A week before the race, I called the Cable Chamber to find out about the courses. There are two courses: a 20-miler and a 25-miler. I felt that the 25-miler might be much of a stretch for me as I’m just starting to get back into shape again. The nice lady (Shannon) at the office put me in touch with Jack – one of the race directors.

Jack gave me an overview of the courses. The 20-miler consisted of mostly fire roads (boring). The 25-miler was comprised of few fire roads, but mostly technical single track, and would run through the Rock Lake (my favorite), Esker and Ojibwe trails. The 25-miler was what I wanted to ride, although my hardtail and I had a strained relationship with the Ojibwe trail (it is marked as “difficult to most difficult” on the trail map and doesn’t disappoint with it’s baby heads, twists, climbs and descents. I always feel like a martini that’s been shaken AND stirred after riding that trail).

However, this year I’m riding a Specialized Epic full suspension 29-er: my Push Present (that’s a term used to refer to the gift a husband buys his wife after having a baby). I think it’s the most hilarious reference. His name is Perry…..Perry the Push Present.

I shared my concerns with Jack, filling him in on my struggle to get back in shape post pregnancy, and the desire to ride the 25-mile course (technical riding is what I really enjoy). But I knew my fitness wasn’t up to par to race that course.

“Would you be interested in being a volunteer sweeper?” He asked.

I was ecstatic about his offer! (A sweeper is the person in a long race that follows behind the group of riders. The sweeper helps unmark the course and help out riders who may have a mechanical or who falls way behind the pack and needs moral support). “You’ll still be able to ride the course and get your miles in. It would be a good training ride, and you ‘ll get to take breaks while unmarking the course.” I jumped at the offer.

On race day we were greeted by temps in the upper 30 and sprinkles. It was cold and nasty. A big storm hit the area the night before, so I anticipated lots of mud and slick trails.

I was paired up with another sweeper, Ric Ahern, one of the investors who recently bought Telemark Resort & Convention Center. I quickly learned that he’s a man of few words and doesn’t seem to have time for no jibber jabber.

Justin helped me get my bike ready after they let the 25-miler races off the start. A few minutes after they cut the 20-mile group loose, Ric and I headed out to sweep. The sky continued to spit on us.

We splashed through a few puddles as we made our way to the single track, jumping on a section of Rock Lake. Although it was misty, I was enjoying myself and was in a happy place. I moved slow through the single track, being cautious about the slick conditions. I really didn’t want to slip on a root and go down. My core is still weak, and I didn’t want to take any chances.

Ric and I dismounted and walked around the mud sections, avoiding any chance of falling into a muddy puddle. There was one section where we couldn’t find any high ground to walk along, and both ended up with a wet foot and soaked wool sock. Awesome.

We continued to ride along in silence, enjoying the serenity. But when we hit a sign that read “18 miles to the finish” all I could think of was how much I missed my baby.

By the time we hit the marker that read “13 miles to the finish”, we both had two wet feet and I was soaked and cold.  But I tried to keep my spirits up. “You can do this. You’re just the sweeper. No problem.” I told myself.

After 2 hours, we finally hit the most technical portion of the course. I was wiped out. I was tired. I had eaten my last Honey Stinger energy chew. And I had run out of water.

“How much farther do we have left?” I asked Ric.

“8 miles. There is 3 miles through here [indicating the start of the Ojibwe section]. We’ll hit a food station, and then there’s 5-miles after the food station.” he replied.

It doesn’t sound like very much, but let me just explain something: 8 miles of mountain bike riding is not the same as 8 miles on a flat road. Especially through a super technical portion of single track. In mountain biking, it could take 30 minutes to an hour to ride that many miles on a mountain bike trail depending on terrain, a rider’s experience, and a person’s fitness level. At my current fitness level, I estimated at least 45 minutes just to ride the 3-miles.

I had a FML moment.

We made our way through the first portion of the Ojibwe. And while my 29-er full suspension made for a great ride, rolling through the rocks and roots, my body was very beat up and I found myself walking up climbs and through rocky sections. A lot.

By the time we got to the fire  road/feed station. Jack was there to greet us.

“It’s all down hill from here.” he joked.

I asked again “how much further to the finish?”

“Five miles.” he said.

I looked at Jack and asked “Would you mind if I got a ride into town with you?” He gave me a smirk and thought I was joking.

“I’m not kidding.” I said.

Yeah, I was THAT beat! I knew that 5 more miles of technical trail would take me at least another hour. I was cold, wet, had two soaked wool socks, and I really missed my baby.

Jack loaded my bike onto his car and gave me a lift into town.

I found my husband hanging out at The Ideal Market coffee shop. He and Elizabeth had been hanging out in the coffee shop all afternoon, catching up with friends we hadn’t seen all season as they filtered in and out of the shop after finishing the race. The woman behind the counter replied that the baby was so well behaved, and that Dad did a great job with her all afternoon. I had a proud Baby Mama moment: not only did Elizabeth do so well (she made many friends ) hanging out all afternoon, but I was so grateful that Baby Daddy hung out with her so I could ride. Needless to say – after all that time with her Dad, Elizabeth was a total Daddy’s girl for the rest of the weekend.

I gave them both a big kiss while Justin said “Everyone has walked in [the coffee shop] looking really beat up. You look refreshed.” I smiled and told him that I had a great time. (I didn’t tell him that I hitched a ride to the finish until we were back at the hotel).

I was excited to find that the coffee shop had brewed a batch of Pollinator Peace Coffee. My favorite! (Peace Coffee is also our team sponsor). I poured a cup and we headed to the hotel where I enjoyed a long hot shower.

And that is how I kicked off the 2011 mountain bike season.

Recommended restaurants for the Cable, WI area (three of our favorite places!):

The Rivers Eatery (awesome pizza and organic salads). THE place for a post ride meal. We gobbled down salads, pizza and fresh carrot cake (from a bakery in Superior, WI). I enjoyed a few glasses of red wine.

The Rookery inside Cable Nature Lodge (great place to stay and excellent place for dinner). Cassie, the black lab, will greet you at the door. The Rookery puts an emphasis on serving seasonal. entrees made from ingredients of local producers). I enjoyed micro greens, Chicken Marsala with Wild Rice and a glass of Cab Sav on Friday night as my preride meal.

The Brick House Cafe. YUMMY place for breakfast.

We have two more mountain bike trips planned that we’re pretty excited about this season. We’re having so much fun sharing our love for the sport with Elizabeth.

Make your life healthy,

Janet

Like many moms, I struggle to fit in exercise. Many times it’s an inner battle: do I want to exercise, or do I want to spend time with my little one? And while the answer is that I want to spend time with my little one, another revelation should be acknowledged: if I exercise, I am a better mom.

And now that the weather has (finally!) warmed up in Minnesota, I am finding a creative way to spend time with E and exercise: pulling her along in the bike trailer.

So far, we’ve logged miles doing hill intervals and a nice steady rides on flats. Saturday we snuck some extra time on the bike during a ride to our local co-op to pick up sweet potato fries to compliment our burgers. Sure, I could have made sweet potato fries from scratch, but we opted for a nice family evening ride outside. Those were bonus miles: I enjoyed some Me Time on the mountain bike at one of our local trails earlier in the day – my husband and I splitting ride time up between us while the other spent time with E.

Mother’s Day lead to a 4-hour ride on one of our state trails (I feel lucky to live in a state with wonderful outdoor amenities). It was an awesome day. I told my husband that I didn’t want anything for Mother’s Day: all I wanted was to spend the day together as a family and grab some time on the bike. I got both – we decided on a family bike ride. We packed a lunch of almond butter and jelly sandwiches, loaded up the van, drove South to Faribault, MN and hooked up at the Sakatah Singing Hills State Trail. (Note: don’t start in Faribault. It’s not a pretty ride. The nice scenery starts about a half hour ride south from the trail head). We biked to the Sakatah Lake State Park, had lunch along the lakeshore, and headed back (through a headwind. More bonus training :-p) We agreed that we would start our ride from the State Park next time.

Our first family mountain biking mini-vacation is fast approaching. Packing will be interesting…a baby, two adults and gear….wish us luck.

I am posting this event to help my friend, Sue Seeger, promote a ladies event at Hillside Mountain Bike park, a super fun mountain bike trail west of Minneapolis/St. Paul.

You don’t need to be an expert. All riding levels are welcome.

But there are two important requirements: you must have a vagina and a bike helmet.

Here’s her promo text. (You can click on the link to pull up the Ladies’s Night at Hillside mountain bike event page on Facebook). Or, send Sue and email to sign up: pseudosu64@gmail.com

LADIES NIGHT AT HILLSIDE PARK MOUNTAIN BIKE TRAIL

Hey Gals—If you’ve ever been curious about mountain biking here’s your chance to see what it’s all about!

This is a free introductory event ~for female riders only~ of all ages and abilities.
Bring your bike– a helmet is required too.

Don’t have an *actual* mountain bike? No problem!

Ramsey Bicycles will have several of the latest models for you to try out so you can get a feel for this very different way of riding. They will also check your own bike for proper adjustment, tire pressure, etc.

Never been to the trail before, or perhaps with very limited success? No problem!

Mountain biking is a fun way to spend time outside and get a great workout. All it takes is learning a few basic skills and some practice. Anyone can do this who is reasonably fit. There are sections of the trail made just for beginners.

Come learn the basics in a supportive female friendly atmosphere—for free!

If you are an experienced rider we’d still love for you to come out. This is a great chance to meet other women who like to play in the woods and ride bikes. We’ll probably have a couple group rides for different skill levels, so come join in the fun.

It is all free but you must sign up in order for us to arrange for the basic skills clinic, bike demos etc.

Two sessions– Tues May 24th & 31st 6:00 p.m. Sign up for one or both.

We will meet in the back lot (ride past the gate and down the dirt road.)
~Please share/invite people~

I read about a scale to rate your training and measure your maximal heart rate. It’s called the Post Workout Rating Scale and was created by Dr. Carl Foster, Ph.D., Director of Exercise Physiology at the University of Wisconsin La-Cross. I wasn’t aware of this particular heart rate training until I had the opportunity to learn about it today.

Maximum heart rate is a key indicator of where you should set your training zones. Simply put, training within your zones = getting the most from your workouts. Knowing your training zones can help keep you honest about your workouts: you can determine when you’re working too hard (which can lead to diminishing results of your workouts), or, not hard enough (therefore, knowing when to increase your intensity).

Click on the link to learn more about the Post Workout Rating Scale.

Make your life healthy,

Janet

Busy moms don’t always have time to workout. So it’s important to make the most of whatever time you have in the gym.

This is a nice quick workout even if you’re not a busy mom.

I like supersets because they save time and help keep the workout fun (a superset is when two exercises are performed back-to-back, moving from one exercise to another without taking a break)

I threw this workout together the other day when I carved a half hour in my day to exercise. Note: I used exercises that put a lot of emphasis on my hamstrings because my quads get hit heavy with cycling.

Warm up: 5 minutes

Leg workout (rest only enough between exercises to catch your breath). If you’re just starting out, try one set of each exercise and work your way up in sets as your fitness improves.

- Squats. I used only body weight. 3 sets of 12-15.

- Step Ups superset with Lying Dumbbell Hamstring Curls (can also use the hamstring curl machine) 10 Step Ups, 15 hamstring curls

- Hamstring Curl machine superset with Lunges, 2 sets of 12-15

- Pile Dumbbell Squats 3 sets of 20

- Stability Ball Hamstring Curl with a bridge 3 sets of 12

- Finish with core work if time allows

- Stretch!

Make your life healthy,

Janet